LeBron James and Dwyane Wade really got under Dirk Nowitzki's skin during their time in Miami, according to former Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea.
On a recent episode of "The Old Man and The Three" podcast with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter, Barea explained how Nowitzki's hatred of the Miami Heat's Big Three motivated him during the 2010-11 season.
"He hated Miami. He hated LeBron, Wade, (Chris) Bosh," Barea said. "He's never going to say that, but he couldn't stand it. ... Dirk, if you know him, he leads by example. He (didn't) lead by talking, but that year, in timeouts, and ... before the games, at halftime, he would talk, and he would talk loud, and (he'd) point fingers, and he was on one."
Barea noted that Nowitzki was hurt after James and Wade were seen mocking him for being sick ahead of Game 5 of the 2011 NBA Finals.
"He had a different mindset that year," Barea said. "He was tougher. He was driving the ball more for some reason. He was either pump-faking and driving left. But when LeBron and Wade started making fun of him by coughing when he got a little sick ... that clip really hurt him. He will never say it, but he really saw the tape, and that tape really hurt him, and that gave him a little bit extra that he didn't need, but it gave him a little extra to finish them off."
Nowitzki was named NBA Finals MVP that season as the Mavs went on to defeat the Heat in six games to capture their first championship.
